On the early morning of Sunday, September 27, a yacht carrying 18 migrants arrived undetected at Mylor Harbour near Falmouth. While Devon and Cornwall Police arrested two Albanian nationals at the scene, the remaining group reportedly fled the area in a van.
The 3 a.m. disappearance at Mylor Harbour
Devon and Cornwall Police responded to reports of a vessel arrival at Mylor harbour , near Falmouth, shortly before 3 a.m. on Sunday, September 27... According to the report, a group of individuals exited a boat and quickly entered a van to flee the scene.
Police officers managed to arrest two Albanian nationals on suspicion of immigration offences,though the whereabouts of the remaining 18 migrants remain unknown. The Home Office is currently leading an investigation into the group, which was assisted by HM Coastguard during the initial police response.
From Folkestone to Falmouth: A pattern of undetected landings
The incident at Mylor Harbour appears to be part of a broader trend of unauthorized arrivals along the English south coast. Just last week, witnesses observed a small boat carrying at least seven people landing near the Warren nature reserve east of Folkestone, followed by up to 30 people arriving at Samphire Hoe between Dover and Folkestone.
This surge in activity has put the UK government under intense scrutiny. Cabinet minister Lucy Powell recently acknowledged that the government is unable to prevent every single unauthorized arrival, a statement made amidst growing concerns over the effectiveness of current border enforcement measures.
Lucy Moreton’s warning about "uncontrolled landings"
The Institute of Security Union (ISU) has been vocal about the systemic failures allowing these arrivals to occur. Lucy Moreton of the ISU union stated that undetected landings are "absolutely, definitely happening" along the entire length of the south coast. She noted that reports of abandoned vessels and uncontrolled landings have been documented as far south as Falmouth.
The Home Office has been accused of a lack of transparency regarding these movements. As the report notes, the union argues that if the authorities do not actively look for these vessels, they effectively remain unaare of the scale of the issue, creating a cycle of unmonitored arrivals.
Who facilitated the van getaway from Cornwall?
Several critical questions remain unanswered following the Mylor Harbour incident. Most notably, the identity of the driver and the owner of the van used to transport the migrants away from the scene has not been established. It remains unclear whether the vehicle was part of a pre-arranged smuggling operation or a local pickup.
The Home Office has yet to clarify how a yacht carrying 18 people could approach a Cornish harbour in the early hours without triggering maritime or coastal surveillance. The investigation into the security breach at Mylor remains ongoing .
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